Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. DEE.

I GAR COUPLING. No. 453,549. Patented June 2,1891.

(No Model.) A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. DEE.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 453,549. Patented June 2,1891.

T WWIE A TTORNE YS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DEE, OF CONCORD, NEV HAMPSHIRE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,549, dated June 2, 1891.

Application filed October 7, 1890. Serial No. 367,358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DEE, of (loncord, in the county of Merrimac and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to. improvements in automatic car-couplings.

It is well known that very many railroad accidents are occasioned bya car leaving a rail and then dragging the remainder of the train with it; and the object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty by producing a carcoupling which will not only automatically couple, but which when the car is derailed will automatically uncouple, thus causing the air-brakes to set themselves and stop the car, and also preventing the derailed car from dragging the remainder of the train with it.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of two cars provided with my coupling and coupled together, the wheels on one side being removed to expose the coupling. Fig. 2 is a broken inverted plan of the same. Fig. 3 is an end View of the coupling as applied to a car. Fig. 4. is a detail perspective view of one of the draw-bars, showing the same provided with the common Miller hook. Fig. 5 is a detail plan of one of the draw-bars, showing the sliding hook therein, which is adapted to engage a Miller hook. Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line :0 x of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a plan of a link adapted to connect the coupling with a locomotive.

The cars A are mounted on wheels 13 in the usual manner, and the couplings are attached to the ends of the cars in the ordinary way. At each end of the car, on the under side, is a casing O, which is open at both ends, and the side pieces 0 of which serve as keepers and guides for the draw-bars D and D. The

draw-bars D and D are plaoed'parallel with each'othcr, the draw-bar D being somewhat longer than the draw-bar D and having a rounded head D to enable it to easily enter between the draw-bars of an opposing coupler, and each of the draw-bars have laterally extending hooks d near the ends to engage the hooks of an opposite coupler, the hooks having vertical grooves d to enable them to lock firmly together. The draw-bars extend through the casin g C 011 opposite sides thereof, so as to project beyond the ends of the cars, and the outer sides of the draw-bars are straight, so as to lie closely against the side pieces O of the casing, and as the draw-bars are pivoted near the front ends of the casing, as described below, they cannot be pressed inwardly toward each other, but can only swing outwardly. The draw-bars have vertical slots (1 the slots being arranged to come near the front portion of the casing O, and located in the slots are blocks d which are pressed by the buffer-springs d, which fit in the slots (Z between the blocks and the rear ends of the slots. The blocks (7 are provided on their front sides with tongues which enter the reduced portions of the slots (Z and suitable pins or bolts E extend transversely through the slots (1* between the front ends of the slots and the blocks (P, the said bolts extending through the bottom of the casing O and being secured by suitable nuts 6. It will thus be seen that when the cars are drawn the spring-pressed blocks (i will be drawn up against the bolts E, thus causing the cars to move easily and without any noticeable shock.

The rear ends of the draw-bars are outwardly inclined, as shown in Fig. 2, and the draw-bars are held in a parallel position with their rear portions against the side pieces 0 of the casing C by a spring F, which is doubled upon itself at its central portion and held by a keeper f, fastened to the upper portion of the casing, and the rear ends of which spring press against the rear portions of the drawbars, thus holding them in position,and when the draw-bars are swung outwardly upon the pressure being removed the spring causes them to resume their normal position.

The draw-bars have the usual horizontal slots and vertical holes in the end for a pin and link, and the draw-bar D may be slotted horizontally from the casing C to the hook (Z, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and a block G arranged to slide in the slot, the said block being held in place by a pin g on the back side, and the opposite side of the block being formed into a hook G, which comes opposite the hook d and which enables the coupler to couple with the ordinary Miller coupler.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown the drawbars D and D provided with a smooth hook d instead of the corrugated hook d, as the smooth hooks may be used, if desired, and in Fig. 4 I have shown the block (Z with a buffer spring (1 in front and behind it and with a vertical perforation through the block to receive the bolt E. When applied to passenger-cars, the double buffer-spring wilLnot be needed; but it may be advantageously used when the coupling is applied to freight-cars.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a link H, by means of which the coupling may be connected with a locomotive, the link having a central eye 71. to couple it to the locomotive in the usual manner, and the link has also parallel arms H, one being longer than the other, to correspond with the difference in length of the two draw-bars, which arms terminate in eyes h, adapted to enter the slots in the ends of the draw-bars and to receive an ordinary coupling-pin.

In Fig.1 I have shown a car provided with the vertical coupling-shaft J, having a wheel J at the top, which serves as a handle, and the shaft is connected by a chain K with the draw-bar D and by a chain K with the rear portion of the draw-bauD, the chainK being passed over a pulley L at the rear of the casing O to give it the necessary direction, and the end of the chain being attached at Z to the rear end of the draw-bar D. The shaft J is actuated when the coupling is to be uncoupled from a corresponding coupling, the chain K being wound upon the shaft, thus swinging the draw-bar D outwardly and cansing it to disengage with the draw-bar D of the opposite coupling; but when the draw-bar D is coupled to an ordinary Miller hook the shaft J is turned in the opposite direction, thus winding the chain K thereon and cansing the draw-bar D to swing outwardly and disengage from the Miller hook.

I have not shown the Miller hook, because it is a coupling in common use and its construction is well understood.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a lever M for operating the draw-bar D, the lever being pivoted in the platform of the car and having its lower end connected with the draw-bar D by a chain K, which passes over a suitable pulley Z.

In attaching the coupling care should be taken that the space between the upper portion of the draw-bars and thecar-platform is sufficient to allow the draw-bars to slide between the opposite draw-bars and the platform, so that in case of an accident the drawbars may be easily disengaged. I p

The coupling operates as follows: When the car in front.

two cars come together, the draw-bar D enters between two draw-bars of the opposite coupling, so that the hook cl thereon engages the corresponding hook of the draw-bar D of the opposite coupling, and at the same time the draw-bar D of the opposite coupling has a similar action, so that the two draw-bars of both couplings interlock, as shown in Fig. 2. If a car is switched to one side, owing to a misplaced switch, it moves at an angle to the car in front of it, so that the heads D of the draw-bars will force the bars apart, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2,thus causing the hooks d of the draw-bars to disengage, so that the cars in front of the switched car -will not be thrown-from the track, and when the coupling is broken the ordinary air-brakes set themselves, so that the train and the switched car will be immediately stopped. It the car is derailed and moves to one side, it has a similar action, so that it easily uncouples, and if it drops through a trestle or bridge the draw-bars on the car that does not drop will slip over the top of those on the car that drops,

so that the cars will be uncoupled and thetrain stop. 7

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the coupling is thoroughly automatic, both in coupling and uncoupling, and that a car cannot be derailed or run onto a misplaced switch without uncoupling it from It will also be seen that the draft on the coupling is from the outside, so that in going arounda curve the tendency will be to draw the cars inward and prevent them from being thrown from the track.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A car-coupling consisting, essentially, of two parallel draw-bars having lateral hooks, one of said draw-bars being made to extend beyond the other, substantially as described.

2. A car-coupling comprising two drawbars pivoted to the car and provided with lateral hooks, one of said bars being longer than the other and provided with an enlarged head, substantially as described.

3. A car-couplin g comprising two draw-bars provided with lateral hooks and pivoted to the car to swing outward or away from each other only, one of said bars being longer than the other and having an enlarged head, substantially as described. I

4. A car-coupling comprising a casing fixed to the car-bottom and parallel draw-bars pivoted in the casing and provided with laterally-extending hooks having vertical corrugations, substantially as described.

5. A car-coupling comprising a casing fixed to the car-bottom and parallel draw-bars extending through the casing and pivoted near 6. A car-coupling comprising a casin g fixed to the car-bottom and parallel draw-bars pivoted in the casing, said draw-bars being of different lengths and having rounded heads, and laterallyextending and horizontallyaligning hooks, substantially as described.

7. A car-coupling comprising a casing fixed to the car-bottom, parallel draw-bars pivoted in opposite sides of the casing, said draw-bars having rounded front ends and lateral1y-extending hooks, and a spring fixed to the easing, so as to press outwardly against the rear ends of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

8. A car-coupling comprising a casing fixed to the car-bottom, parallel draw-bars pivoted in opposite sides of the casin g so as to swing outwardly, said draw-bars having rounded front ends and laterally-extending hooks, and a spring fixed to the casing so as to press outwardly against the rear ends of the draw-bars, substantially as described.

9. A car-coupling comprising a casing fitted to the car-bottom, parallel draw-bars fitted in opposite sides of the casing, said draw-bars having inclined rear ends and rounded forward ends provided with laterally-extending hooks, a spring fixed to the casing so as to press outwardly against the rear ends of the draw-bars, and a suitable lever mechanism for actuating the draw-bars, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with a draw-bar having a lateral hook, of a block fitted to slide 011 said bar and having a hook extending oppositely to the bar-hook, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with a horizontallyslottcd draw-bar, of a block arranged to slide in the slot, said block having one side formed into a hook, substantially as described.

12. In a car-coupling, a link having a central eye, and parallel arms terminating in eyes, said link being adapted to connect a double coupling with a locomotive, substantially as described.

THOMAS DEE.

\Vitnesses:

P. B. COGSWELL, EDWARD N. PEARSON. 

